Factors in Choosing an Orthodontic Practice: Preliminary Results

What do consumers value when they choose an orthodontist? Previous research has noted the importance of referrals from general dentists and patients. However, many prospective patients visit more than one office before they select an orthodontist. Objectives: The aim of this study was to survey decision makers about the relative importance of practice characteristics at the initial office visit, prior to choosing a practice. Methods: This study utilized an initial pilot study for validity and a separate reliability study incorporating a test-retest method to determine consistency of responses. The questionnaire used visual analog scales (VAS), and asked potential decision makers, 12 adult patients and 41 parents of adolescent patients, to evaluate practice factors. Subjects rated variables on a VAS scale (0-100) where 0 represents “not important in my selection of an orthodontist” and 100 represents “most important in my selection of an orthodontist.” Study questionnaires were equally divided between suburban and rural locations. Results: The questionnaire/questions have been shown to be reliable. Preliminary results suggest that doctor attributes of ‘caring attitude' (91+9) and ‘thorough explanations' (91+9) were most important and the doctor's ethnic, religious background and gender were least important (VAS<15). Having a ‘good payment plan' (91+10) and ‘accepts [my] insurance' (87+14) were the most important financial attributes. The most important staff attributes were ‘caring attitude' (88+10) and ‘friendly' (85+13). The most important office attributes were ‘clean' (87+15) and used ‘the latest in … technology and equipment' (84+18) and the least was ‘parties for patients' (12+15). Conclusion: These data suggest that the ideal office has a doctor and staff who are caring, friendly, and informative. The practice should be included in the patient's insurance coverage and offer a payment plan. The office itself should be clean with up-to-date technology.